Life is but a Dream
by Suicidal Mickey Mouse
Summary: Nancy gets a severe head wound with some interesting results...that also may lead to a romance with Frank.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, or the characters associated with them.

Author's notes: This is probably one of the most out there ideas I've had…just so you know. This prologue is just a teaser until this weekend when I'll be able to really start the fic more.

* * *

Prologue- Uh…Ouch?

Nancy glanced around the warehouse that she, Frank, and Joe were investigating. They had reason to believe that a ring of thieves were using the abandoned warehouse as a home base and storage unit. The three detectives had agreed to split up; Frank had started for the offices, Joe to see if he could find any of the stolen items, and Nancy was on the lookout to make sure they weren't about to be walked in on by the group they were investigating.

It had been a long case that had started with a call from the brothers. Bayport had been plagued by warehouse thefts, and neither the police nor the Hardys were having luck with tracking the thieves down. They needed a fresh outlook on things.

Nancy was happy to comply. In River Heights there had been a dry spell of mysteries to solve, and she found herself spending a lot more time with Bess and George. It wasn't that she didn't love the cousins, because she did. But in light of her recent breakup with Ned, which had been mutual she was quick to point out, the two had been focused on setting her up with their latest finds in boys, something that Nancy wasn't very appreciative of. Needless to say the call from Frank was a very welcome escape.

A sudden noise caused her to turn around quickly, but it was only to see an object hurtling towards her head. Before she could duck or move it collided with her forehead. For a few moments she felt an intense pain and could see only a bright light as she crumpled to the ground, and then there was only darkness.

* * *

Frank leapt from his seat in the waiting room in the hospital as the doctor approached. He had stumbled upon Nancy once his investigation of the warehouse offices had been completed. She had been lying in a small pool of blood, and very unresponsive. Frank had been scared, though a little less so when Joe had returned. Joe was behaving a bit more rationally than him at that point and was able to point out that she was alive.

Joe was also able to point out the shovel that was lying next to her. It had been what she was hit with. Joe had called the ambulance, and Joe had kept his brother together.

Frank was grateful for Joe, but he was also very unconcerned with Joe. He was however, very concerned with Nancy. "How is she?" He asked quickly.

The doctor held up a hand, as though warding him and Joe off. "She's being brought up to a room now. She hasn't woken up yet. Our tests revealed a severe concussion. The shovel she was hit with caused a significant trauma to her brain and skull. She should be fine, but it may be anywhere from an hour to a few days until she wakes up." The doctor paused. "If you'll follow me I can bring you up to her room."

* * *

Yeah it's short I know. But it introduces one of many conflicts. It's important.

Thoughts?


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that I am using to create this work of fiction, the series that they are from, or any pop culture references that I may chose to include.

Author's notes: Thank you reviewers. I'm glad you like the start however short it was. This chapter is a little bit out there, but I think it all makes sense. If it doesn't please ask me any questions that you have.

Also I use a lot of slang in this chapter that was popular during the 1930s. This is the glossary that I used to help me with this, and that I hope will help you if you aren't sure what's going on: h t t p / w w w . p a p e r - d r a g o n . c o m / 1 9 3 9 / s l a n g. h t m l

_Italics are a newspaper article that is being read. _

_

* * *

_

This Could Be A Problem

When Nancy's eyes fluttered open she was faced with a dim lighting in an unfamiliar but nicely decorated room. The light glinted off of the wallpaper which appeared to have foil inlayed in it. Red draperies adorned areas where golden picture frames hung. Empty tables with candles on top filled the room, and chairs surrounded the tables. One corner of the room held a bar, where empty glasses were lined up upside down, down the bar. This was all she could see of the room, although she could hear a jazzy piano music playing. To her the room seemed very nice, inviting, and intimate, but she had no idea where it was, why she was there, or furthermore who she was. Using one hand she pushed herself into a sitting position from the chaise lounge she found herself lying on.

"Hey, you're awake."

She turned to her right, the source of the voice. This was where she could see a small stage. Next to the stage was a grand piano, and sitting at the piano was a man. She assumed that he had been the one playing, although the music had now stopped. He was handsome and young, with dark brown hair that was slicked away from his face. He wore a pinstripe suit, and looked friendly enough, but again she had no idea who he was. She didn't really know how she should respond, so she simply didn't.

He walked over, grabbing a glass of water off of the piano and bringing it to her. "I found you unconscious backstage." He informed handing the glass to her. "Almost thought we'd have to call the meat wagon for ya. You must have fainted or something."

"I…uh…I guess." She took a sip of the water, allowing the liquid to moisten her throat that was dry out of her nervousness and discomfort.

The man flashed a charming smile towards her. "The name's Francis Hatfield. Most of the cats around here call me Frankie the piano man though."

They shook hands, but she still couldn't say anything. Nancy didn't know who she was in order to tell.

Francis didn't let the silence last, and he even seemed to understand her problem, but started to take care of it without mentioning it. "And you're Natasha Darling, the up-and coming canary." He continued to smile as he spoke.

It started to make sense to Nancy. She was Natasha Darling, a singer. So she must be in the club for a performance. "It's nice to meet you, Mr. Hatfield."

"It's Francis for you, doll."

Although she was still confused and disoriented, she was starting to make more sense out of everything. And even though she couldn't really remember that she was Natasha Darling, it seemed almost familiar, so she just accepted it and moved on to other things. "So am I singing tonight or somethin'?"

"Or somethin'." Francis laughed a little. "The club opens in half an hour. You gonna be ready?"

"Uh…" Nancy trailed off a bit. She didn't know if she'd actually be ready to do anything. Sure, apparently she was a singer, so talent wasn't a question. Actually knowing the music was.

"Don't worry, doll. Just stand by me tonight and I'll help you out." He winked at her, and she noticed his warm brown eyes. "Oh, and there's a paper in your dressing room. Why don't you read it after you get ready? Get your bearings or somethin'."

"Yeah thanks." She smiled for him and stood, ready to leave the room.

He winked again, before starting back to the piano. "Anything for you, doll."

* * *

Nancy glanced at herself in the mirror, getting a feel for herself again. Her strawberry blond hair was curled and swept in a side part over her head. She had bright blue eyes, that had very little makeup around them, a pale pink blush on her cheeks, and a deep red on her lips. She had changed into the pale blue dress that was waiting for her.

Now she glanced down at bureau. As she was told by Francis, there was a paper in her dressing room. The header read in bold letters: _Local Night Club Celebrates Anniversary; Darling Becomes its Headliner._ She continued down the page, reading the short blurb.

_The Crazy Cat Night club, a local club, is celebrating it's tenth anniversary. Opened in 1929, The Crazy Cat has become a locally celebrated hotspot and is known as the place to be when you're in two. In accordance with this anniversary, rising jazz singer, Natasha Darling, has taken a job at the Crazy Cat, and will be performing there nightly for at least two months. See page 5 for continued article._

More information came to arrange itself in Nancy's head. Francis had been laughing when she asked if she was singing because she would be singing there for a long time. And to clear up the issue of time, it was 1939. That was a helpful fact.

She turned when there was a knock at the door. "Ms. Darling?" A male voice asked through the door. "It's time for the show." Nancy stood, opening the door to be faced with a man, with blond hair, styled similarly to Francis'. "You all set?"

"Yeah." She nodded, stepping out and closing the door behind her.

"The name's Joey Hatfield. I'm Frankie's brother…and the Crazy Cat's host. You might say it's my job to keep the guests in line…and their paws off you."

Nancy gave him a small smile. "Well thanks in advance."

* * *

Nancy stepped out into the crowded club after finishing her last song of the night with Francis. It had gone well all things considered. The music seemed very natural to her, singing hadn't been a problem. She had simply sat on the piano bench next to Francis and they had sung together in a nice, casual performance. Now she walked over to the bar, hoping to just get a glass of water before retreating to her dressing room, and attempting to find out where she would stay.

A man stepped in front of her though, cutting her off. "Hey, babe, What's say you and me go back to my cave and, you can show me some more of those gams you've been hiding all night."

Nancy just flashed him a tight smile, before starting to walk away, without saying anything.

He grabbed her arm, pulling her back in front of him. "Come on doll face. I was just givin' you an offer. A good offer I might add." He flashed her a crooked smile.

She attempted to pull her arm away with no luck. "I'm sorry but I'm afraid that I--."

"That's not exactly the answer I'm looking for, babe."

"Well it's the only answer you're getting." Joey interrupted, stepping between the two before the man could continue. "No I'm gonna have to ask you to leave the club."

"Hey, I was just commenting on the entertainment. I thought she could be more entertaining back at my place." The man smirked.

Joe's fist collided with the man's chin.

The man rebounded quickly and through a punch of his own, barely cuffing Joey's chin. Nancy, still being held in his arm was thrown with the momentum to the ground, hitting her head on the foot of one of the chairs, and then blacking out.

* * *

Frank Hardy sighed placing his head in his hands, while he was sitting in the hospital room, next to Nancy's bed. It had been three days since the incident at the warehouse and she still had shown no signs of waking up. Joe was in the cafeteria, getting a coffee. Earlier in the day they had called Carson, deciding that this had gone past the point of minor case injury.

He hadn't slept much; he knew he looked pretty terrible. However, he couldn't bring himself to leave her side…the only sleep he was getting occurred when he was accidentally falling asleep. Joe kept trying to convince him to sleep or do something other than sit there, but he was having no luck. Frank was being very bull-headed.

"Francis, is that you?"

Frank immediately looked up at the groggy female voice. It didn't really occur to him what was said, just that Nancy was looking at him, with half open blue eyes, and that she had spoken.

"Francis, what did you do to your hair?"

Frank pressed the call button on the side of the bed, still not thinking to say anything to the girl lying near him. Almost instantly Nancy's doctor was in the room. He smiled a bit at the sight of his patient awake. "Frank, if you'll excuse us for a brief examination." He requested.

Frank complied, stepping out into the hallway, where Joe was coming down the hall, holding two cups of coffee. "What's going on?" Joe asked, handing one cup over to his brother.

"Nancy's awake." Frank informed happily, the smile growing wider on her face. "The doctor's in with her now."

"That's great."

They waited in a silence for a few minutes, until the doctor stepped out of the room, looking less happy than when he had walked in.

"How is she?" Frank questioned quickly.

"Well, I'll need to run a few tests of course, but I believe that physically she'll be fine."

"Well that's good." Joe nodded.

"However…"The doctor continued. "She seems to believe that her name is Natasha Darling, and that it's 1939."

Joe let out a low whistle. "That could be a problem."

* * *

OK. Thoughts? Was it too complicated or just plain too out there? I'd really appreciate some feedback about that particular aspect. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that I am using to create this work of fiction, the series that they are from, or any pop culture references that I may chose to include.

Author's notes: Thank you reviewers. To answer a question, it's not really a past life that Nancy is dreaming about/reliving. You'll get a lot more information about it as the story goes on so don't worry.

* * *

Did My Brother Just Use the Term Doll Face?

"She what?" Frank asked dumfounded. His knees started to weaken beneath him and he felt a lightheadedness rush to his skull. He ignored his brother's comment, because he was more than a little confused. Surely the doctor had been wrong.

The doctor repeated himself. "She thinks that her name is Natasha Darling, and that the year is 1939."

This was…wrong. Frank barely registered it as Joe's hand wrapped around his forearm in a strong grip and led him over to a chair forcing him to sit. He wasn't prepared for anything like this. At the most, he had been prepared for some amnesia. She had been hit hard, and was unconscious for a few days. Frank had prepared himself for the fact that Nancy would probably be a little different when she woke up. But thinking that she was in 1939 was far from a little different. It was a lot different. He was not prepared.

Joe crouched down in front of his stunned brother as he sat, surprised at the way the doctor was just standing back. "Frank? You still with us?"

Frank couldn't even answer his brother. He dumbly looked over to the doctor expecting more answers from him, even though he didn't ask any more questions. Speech was beyond his limited capabilities at this point.

The doctor took this as his own cue. "I'll need to run some more tests, but I do believe that with time she should be able to make a full recovery and um…return to us, as the case may be." He had never really seen a case such as this in his time, and he knew that he was unprepared to handle it. He fully intended on handing the case off to someone more qualified, but he wasn't about to mention that at the moment. "Until then I believe it would be best to go along with her beliefs. You may visit her, but agree with what she tells you and try not to give her too much culture shock as the case may be. If she thinks it's 1939 then she isn't going to recognize most of what's around her. It's likely traumatize her further." Both brothers nodded. "I'm going to go schedule some tests, but I'll be back soon. Press the call button if you have any problems."

He walked away down the hall, but neither brother moved for a few moments. Joe was the first to recover. "Frank?" He asked quietly, shaking his brother's arm gently. He had the feeling that Frank was pretty far gone at this point. If it weren't for the seriousness of the situation he would probably be laughing. Frank was always the one in control. It had never occurred to Joe that one day if their favorite partner in crime-solving got into trouble that their roles might be switched. "Frank?"

"What?" Frank's head snapped to his attention, slightly glazed eyes becoming alert.

Joe sent his brother a small smirk as he returned to the hospital hallway. "You just paid a quick visit to la-la land."

"So Nancy doesn't really…"Frank's question trailed off. Had he just been dreaming the whole thing? Was Nancy fine?

"No. As far as I know she does." Just because the question wasn't complete didn't mean that Joe didn't know what his brother had been thinking. But he also couldn't confirm anything, as he hadn't been in the room with her yet.

"Oh." Frank's head fell down and the air rushed out of him.

"Yeah. We should probably go see her though. You know…maybe it's not as bad as the doctor was making it sound." Joe could feel his brother's defeat already, but knew he should be trying to instill hope in him. He hadn't seen his brother like this ever, and knew that it wasn't like him. He stood up straight, expecting his brother to follow him.

Frank didn't move though. "She called me Francis." He spoke softly. "When she first woke up, she was calling me Francis."

Joe wanted to laugh a little at this too. His brother was just not a Francis. Yet again though, this was the inappropriate time. "Frank, it's the same Nancy. She's just a little…confused right now. It'll all be fine."

* * *

It had taken a few more reassurances from Joe to get Frank up, but they were now entering the hospital room. Nancy was sitting up in the bed, reading a book. Both assumed that the doctor had given it to her to keep her occupied. Not two seconds after they had been in the room did she lift her head, and her blue eyes lit up. "Francis, Joey? She confirmed with a bit of a smile on her face. "You two don't know where I could get some city juice do you?"

The brother's shared a glance. What was city juice? It certainly didn't sound very good. Why would she want some? "Uh…no." Frank answered tentatively hoping that it was a suitable enough answer.

"Jeez. What kind of a joint is this? Can't even get some water." Nancy closed her book, adjusting herself in the bed a little so she was sitting a little straighter. "Thanks for helping me out at the club Joey. That goon was all wet."

"You're welcome?" Joe offered in confusion. He had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. He was starting to feel some of the shock that his brother had been experiencing earlier and he wasn't enjoying it very much. And he absolutely hated the name Joey.

Nancy seemed glad to fill any silence that came up. "So what's been going on these past few days? Is the Crazy Cat surviving without me?"

Joe avoided the question about the Crazy Cat, but he figured there was no harm in answering her other question's somewhat truthfully. "Well my brother here," He chose to say his brother since he had no intention of calling Frank, Francis, and he wasn't sure if there were any other acceptable names available. "Has been sitting by your bed waiting for you to wake up, and I've been running around time trying to find who attacked you."

"What do you think you are, some sort of gumshoe?" Nancy laughed a little, then turned to face Frank. "And what do you think you're doing, wasting your time sitting around here? I ain't your flame."

Frank managed translate most of that particular sentence. Apparently the person she thought Joe was, wasn't a detective, and the person she thought that he was, was nothing more than a friend. At least he was pretty sure about that anyways. He would have to admit that his slang translation came from three or four movies. Which is why he was hoping what he was about to say came out right. The way he saw it he only had a few options, and all of them included getting to know this Natasha Darling…and to do that he would have to become somewhat like this Francis character. "Come on doll face…can't a guy show a little concern?"

She smiled a little, giving him a shy, yet flirtatious look, proving once more that this was definitely not the Nancy they were used to. "I guess you're right. But don't be such an Abercrombie about it."

* * *

Joe was the one sent down to retrieve Carson when he arrived at the hospital. He was more than glad to leave the room where things just seemed to be getting stranger. Frank was falling into playing the part of Francis for Nancy rather easily it seemed. He had formed a connection with the girl; he seemed to be understanding whatever it was that she was saying and seemed to able to spit the slang right back at her. Joe had no idea what was going on. So he decided to go down and make sure that Nancy's father was thoroughly prepared for what he was about to encounter.

"Mr. Drew!" He flagged the middle-aged lawyer down in the lobby, hurrying over. Joe was pretty sure that if he wasn't so concerned for his daughter he would have corrected him and told him to call him Carson, but that was not the concern of the moment.

"Joe." Carson looked over the young detective, worry lines evident on his face. "How is she?"

"The doctor thinks that she'll make a full recovery." Joe informed as they started to the elevator that would take them upstairs. "She woke up a while ago."

Carson breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a little bit silly for breaking the speed limit so many times on his way down. "So I can see her?"

Joe hesitated a little. "Well yes…but there's something you should know. She isn't exactly the same Nancy."

"What do you mean?"

"She doesn't think that she is Nancy. She thinks her name is Natasha Darling. And she thinks that it's 1939."

They rode up the elevator in a stunned silence. It wasn't until the doors opened that Carson knew what to say. "So she will be fine? This is just a form of amnesia?"

"From what I understood from the doctor yes." Joe nodded leading him down the hallway, stopping in front of the door to Nancy's room.

Carson took a deep breath. "Well then we can deal with that." He was in lawyer mode and prioritizing, Joe could tell. Carson was detaching the feelings of worry from himself so he could deal with the situation rationally. "Let's go in."

Joe opened the door announcing himself and Carson once they were mostly into the room, and could see Nancy and Frank sharing a laugh, her hand on top of his. "Natasha, your father's here to see you."

The laugh died out, the smile faded, and Nancy gripped Frank's hand tightly. "Get him out of here." She said quietly as her eyes welled with tears. "Get him out of here." She repeated a bit louder when nobody moved. She started to shout and thrash, still holding Frank's hand, tears starting to run down her face. "Get him out! Get him out! Get him out!"

* * *

Thoughts? 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that I am using to create this work of fiction, the series that they are from, or any pop culture references that I may chose to include.

Author's notes: Thank you reviewers!

I'm Gonna Need a Lot More Information to Understand This

"Get him out!"

Frank quickly took a hold of Nancy's other hand, pulling them together so they were held close to his chest and he enveloped the panicking girl in a firm embrace, hoping that it would help to calm her. Over one shoulder he looked over to his brother and Carson who were simply standing, dumfounded. "You should go." He made his suggestion quietly. He didn't want to sound too rude speaking to Nancy's father, but he needed to take care of this situation, and this was the easiest way he could find.

Joe protested quickly. "Frank, don't you think that--."

"I think if we want to have any chance at doing this right you need to go." Frank cut his brother off, purposefully being vague. Nancy couldn't really hear what the real situation was right now.

Carson sighed rather dejectedly. "Frank's right Joe. We should go."

"But, I'm sure that--."

"No Joe." Carson interrupted the younger boy in a firm, even slightly angry voice. "Frank is right. Why don't we go get something to eat or something?"

Frank gave the father a sympathetic glance, although he couldn't imagine what it felt like to hear your only daughter scream for you to be thrown out of the room. "I'll see what I can do." He assured. After the two left the room he pulled his arms away from Nancy's now still form. "Nan—Natasha." He caught his mistake as he spoke softly. "Are you alright?"

"No thanks to you." Nancy pulled away from him, wiping wet, red-rimmed eyes. "What do you and your brother think you're doing, bringing him here?"

"Who?" Frank knew what the answer would be. He only asked in the hope that he was wrong. He wanted badly to be able to tell Carson that she didn't think she was yelling at her father, just so it might help ease some of his troubles with the situation.

"Him." Nancy crossed her arms over her chest. "My father."

Frank thought quickly. From what he had been able to tell so far, Francis and Natasha didn't know each other all that well. He could probably get away with playing clueless. "Well, Joey and I thought you'd want him here to help you 'til you're back on your feet."

"Well I don't."

"Why not?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business. I barely know you."

"How are we supposed to become better acquainted if you keep clamming up every time we start to talk about our pasts?" The comment was only a guess really. Frank was taking a shot in the dark that he hoped would pan out and not completely turn Nancy away.

"Maybe I'm not the chatty type." Nancy challenged, giving him a look that rivaled the one Carson had been shooting to Joe moments before. "Why don't you come back later? I'm don't feel much like company."

"All right." Frank stood, trying without much success to contain his sigh of disappoint me. They had been forming a connection, all over again, he might add, and clearly he had screwed it up. "I'll come back later."

* * *

"Any luck?" Joe asked quickly seeing his brother exit the room. He and Carson had left the room, but neither had really felt like eating, so they had remained, right outside the door, hoping they might catch some form of luck and Nancy would want to see them. 

Frank shook his head with dark eyes. "Now she doesn't even want to see me."

"You're kidding.' Joe's jaw almost dropped. He knew that Nancy wasn't exactly the same right now, but even in this state for her to not want to be around Frank was just wrong. They went together too well. "What do you mean she doesn't want to see you?"

"She's pretty upset." Frank ran a hand through his hair, looking to Carson. "I don't know why. She won't even talk to me. Carson I'm so sorry about all of this--."

Carson held up a hand, the lawyer in him was still in charge. "It's not your fault Frank. This is just part of the hazard that comes with Nancy's job."

"I should have stayed with her." Frank corrected quickly. "Or had her come with me or something."

"Frank stop being so ridiculous." Joe reprimanded. "We just need to deal with this one step at a time, and find out what we can, and then Nancy will be back to normal in no time."

Carson glanced between the two brothers watching the reactions. He could understand what Frank was saying, even if it was rather unfounded. So he decided that a few things needed to be done; Frank needed to stop focusing on what was going perfectly wrong, and he himself needed to get more information. "Why don't you tell me exactly what it is that you two know, and then we can decide what to do?"

"Frank, Joe." The doctor greeted walking out of Nancy's room. "And you must be the patient's father."

"Yes, I'm Carson Drew." Carson held out a hand to the doctor. He had been informed by the brothers about everything they had learned. Natasha Darling, 1939, lounge singer, everything that thus far had been revealed. And he still didn't know what to do about the situation his daughter was currently in.

The doctor took Carson's hand and shook it firmly. "I'm Dr. Wade. I've been handling your daughter's case. Have Frank and Joe informed you about what is going on?"

"As much as they know."

"Well I believe, and my tests are in agreement with this, that the blow to the had was quite a traumatic one, and this blow caused her to…it appears anyways, that she has created an alternate reality. One that is safe for her." Dr. Wade informed.

Carson frowned. "Nancy's been hit over the heads more times than I count and this has never happened before."

"Well this could be caused by numerous factors, that being one of them." Dr. Wade gave him a look that almost suggested that maybe Carson shouldn't have been letting his daughter run around getting hit over the head. "Has she been under a lot of stress lately?"

"She's a detective, she's always under stress."

"But anymore than usual?"

"I don't know… She broke up with her boyfriend a few months ago…but that's all I can think of."

"OK then. I think what will be best is that for now Nancy can remain here, and we can see if we can make any breakthroughs in getting her back to reality, so to speak, working with a psychologist and running more tests. If that doesn't work we'll have to examine our other options."

"That sounds fine."

"Well I suppose I'll talk to you all tomorrow unless something comes up then. Oh, and Frank, she wants to see you. Said something about apologizing before visiting hours were over."

Frank, who along with his brother had remained silent throughout the interaction between Carson and the doctor, perked up. "Thank you." He stood and started into the room without another word. "Natasha?"

Nancy was sitting on the hospital bed reading once again. "Hey Francis." She closed the book. "Whatcha been up to?"

"Just waitin' around for you." Frank fell back into the slight city accent that came with talking in the slang with Nancy that made everything sound a lot more natural.

"About that…" Nancy smiled, putting the book over on the side table. "I'm sorry for the way I acted. It's just that…My father isn't my favorite person in the world."

"Really? I didn't notice."

"I'm only nineteen ya know. I left home when I seventeen. That's why I'm a singer and not one of those fancy high society married broads that come to the club."

Frank hesitated before asking his next question. It was pretty important that she remained talking to him. "Why'd you leave?"

"My father never treated us…me and my mom…right." She began softly, her smile turning a lot sadder. "One night things were bad, and he put her in a Chicago overcoat."

Frank didn't know what to say, particularly since he didn't know what a Chicago overcoat was but he knew what Nancy was implying by saying that Natasha's father never treated them right. His mind went back to what the doctor had said, about Nancy creating a world that was safe for her. He had to believe that if that were the case she wouldn't have created a world that included an abusive father.

The door opening prevented him from having to say anything. A nurse ducked her head in. "Visiting hours are over for today." She informed quickly.

"OK Francis." Nancy sighed a little. "Guess you gotta get outta here."

"Yeah." Frank nodded. "I'll come see you tomorrow."

"Swell." Nancy offered him a little half smile.

Frank added an assurance before leaving, and he wasn't sure if it was himself talking, or the character of Francis. "And…I'll take care of your father for you." The words were barely out of his mouth before he exited the room.

* * *

Thoughts? 


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that I am using to create this work of fiction, the series that they are from, or any pop culture references that I may chose to include.

Author's notes: Thank you reviewers! I am so sorry that this took so long. My computer crashed and I didn't have time to use any one else's. I hope that this won't happen again.

* * *

Dizzy With a Detective

Frank entered the hospital on his own and quickly started up to Nancy's floor. He was on his own, because it had been insisted upon by both Joe and Carson. Carson knew that he couldn't really go into the hospital inside anyways, and Joe was convinced that Frank had the best chance of bringing Nancy out of where ever she was. Once he was upstairs he went straight to the main floor desk. "Is Nancy Drew available for visitors?"

The nurse behind the desk smiled. "Yes. She's down in the patient's lounge. It's right down the hall."

Frank muttered a quick thanks to the nurse, and went down the hall. As he got further down he started to hear a soft music that got louder once he turned towards the open room. There was a small group of patients sitting in the lounge, mostly adults that were pushing the older ages and were well enough to be up and about. They were sitting in a semi-circle around an old record player. Standing next to the player was Nancy, and she was singing with the old music.

"I'm sure sometimes on the sly you do it. Maybe even you and I might do it. Let's do it, let's fall in love."

Frank watched as she finished the song, her blue eyes sparkling as bright as he had ever seen them. There was a broad smile on her face. He hadn't realized that she could sing. He knew that she thought she was a singer, but it hadn't occurred to him that she actually could sing. He would have been lying if he had said he wouldn't want to hear it again.

The group of people clapped, and she nodded her head as a sort of bow. "Thanks." She glanced around the group and spotted Frank. "Francis! I didn't think you'd be here so early." She hurried over to him leaving he group.

"I just thought I'd spend the day with you…doll." Frank added the pet name as an afterthought. When he had seen her standing there, looking so energetic and happy, he had almost forgotten that it wasn't really Nancy he was talking to. The only real difference was that Nancy, as far as he knew, wouldn't sing in public.

"You spent the day with me yesterday." Her broad smile turned to that of a coy one and she linked her arm in his, starting to lead him out of the lounge. "I thought I told you I wasn't no one's fuss."

"You did." Frank nodded. "And I told you I was just showing some concern for you."

"Two days in a row?"

"What can I say? I got a thing for pip's like you." Frank couldn't believe how easy it was coming to pretend to be someone else. He hadn't really been thinking much about what he was doing, he had just been doing what was coming naturally to him. Of course, what was coming naturally too him was flirting.

* * *

"So how was she?" Carson asked Frank as he piled into the car at the end of the day. He had been going out of his mind all day, hoping for news that Nancy had come back to normal.

"She's…the same." Frank hesitated for the briefest of seconds about what he shared. "Did you know that she could sing?" It seemed like a good place to start as any. It was after all the beginning of the day.

Joe looked surprised. "Nancy? Our Nancy? I've never heard her sing."

"She was singing in the patient's lounge when I got in this morning. Some old song. I think it was Cole Porter or something…She was amazing. And she looked really happy."

Carson swallowed. "She doesn't normally like to sing in public. Nancy's not shy about much but when it comes to singing…she stopped when she was about ten. That's when she started to get more into mysteries. That's why she said she didn't want to sing anymore." He sighed. "What else?"

"We spent the day talking." Frank shrugged. "We were just bumping gums." He blushed realizing he had kept talking in the slang. "I mean…we were just talking about nothing. I talked to the doctor and he said that for now we should just keep going along with it. He thinks that it will help her."

"Has he found out anything else?" Carson continued his questioning.

"No. He says we need to wait for her to come out of it."

Joe grinned a little. "Well Nancy's doctor may not have found out anything else but I have."

"What?"

Joe handed back a small stack of papers. "I googled Natasha Darling. She really was a singer back in 1939."

"Really?" Frank began to read.

"Yeah. She worked at this night club called the Crazy Cat. From what I could find she had a baby without getting married, and a couple years after that she was killed. They never solved the murder."

"Maybe Nancy read about the case recently or something." Frank suggested as he read. "And the head trauma made her revert to it."

"Maybe."

* * *

"OK spill." Joe closed the door of Frank's bedroom. He had followed him upstairs while Carson stayed downstairs to talk with Fenton and Laura.

"What do you mean, spill?" Frank tossed the papers that Joe had given him earlier onto the bed.

"You're holding something back. What happened today in that hospital?"

Frank sighed, and took a seat, removing his jacket. "I told you. It was booshwash."

"Booshwhat?" Joe sat at Frank's computer desk.

"Talking about nothing." Frank reiterated quickly, again feeling the embarrassment of carrying the slang away from the hospital room.

Joe smiled. "And that's why I think something is going on."

"Because we talked about nothing?" Frank raised an eyebrow.

"No, because you're saying things like booshwash."

"I'm not following your twisted logic at all."

"You, are dizzy with a dame." At the look Frank was giving him, Joe smirked. "You aren't the only one who knows a little bit of slang."

"What are you going on about?"

"The fact that you are falling for her."

"Who?"

"Natasha."

"I am not."

"If you weren't falling for her then you would be able to stop the slang at the hospital door."

"Are you telling me that if you'd been talking like that all day you'd be able to just turn it off?"

"You should have turned it off by now. Yet every time we talk about her, you start to talk like that. You are falling for her."

"I'll admit that there's something about her but…it's ridiculous for you to think that I'm going to actually fall for her."

"You already have." Joe's eyes twinkled at him, then darkened in a seriousness. "Watch yourself OK?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're falling for Natasha. And Natasha isn't going to be around very long. You're setting yourself up for a big hurt."

"I am not going to fall for her Joe. I've done stuff like this before. I can do it without falling for the girl. That's your job."

* * *

Thoughts? Again, I'm really sorry about the delay. 


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that I am using to create this work of fiction, the series that they are from, or any pop culture references that I may chose to include.

Author's notes: Thank you reviewers! And since I lied and it did take a while for me to update, welcome to the world of the double update.

* * *

It's Doctor's Orders. OK I'm Not Technically a Doctor But…

For the next few days the routine that had been established continued. Frank would go to the hospital to spend visiting hours with Nancy, who was being referred to as Nancy less and less and more often as Natasha, and then he would go home and tell everyone what he had learned. More often than not this was very little because they would spend the day reading or playing board games together, all the while talking about nothing importance.

Joe and Carson on the other hand were spending their time researching, attempting to find anything they could about Natasha Darling. They had little luck aside from a few articles about an up and coming lounge singer.

This was where they were now, searching old newspaper archives that had all been translated to microfilm. Joe was on one projector, Carson was on the other. "Are you having any luck?" Carson removed his glasses and tiredly rubbed his face.

"Nothing." Joe leaned back in his chair. "There's a gap when she started singing at the Crazy Cat and when she was murdered. And I haven't seen anything about the kid that article said she had."

"It's almost as though she vanished and became a different person from time to time."

Joe sat back up almost immediately. "That's it!"

"What's it?"

"She vanished and became a different person from time to time. It makes perfect sense."

"Joe are you suggestion that we live in a science fiction novel?" Carson sighed.

"No. It's simple. Natasha Darling is a performer."

"And?"

"And maybe the reason that we can't find anything on her is because she's using…I mean she used a stage name."

"She vanished and becomes a different person from time to time." Carson nodded in understanding.

"I'm gonna go call Frank and tell him to talk to her about it."

* * *

"I'm afraid we're not making any progress." Nancy's doctor spoke as he brought Frank into the hallway. His statement was obvious; Nancy was still under the impression that she was Natasha. There was clearly no progress being made.

"Well…what can we do?" Frank asked quietly.

"When this began I thought that your interaction would be beneficial to bringing her…out of the past so to speak. However I feel that we've been indulging her too much and it is actually pushing our progress backwards rather than forwards." The doctor paused for a brief moment. "I actually feel that most of the problems are stemming from you."

"From me?" Frank was confused…he was only doing what the man before him had suggested. He was having a great time while doing it, but it was still only what he had been told to do.

"Yes you. I've observed a few of your interactions with her, you go along with anything that she tells you, and it appears that you're building a relationship with her while she's in this state."

"You told me to go along with what she told me."

"You're also giving her a reason to not want to return to normal. If, as I believe, she thinks that she's Natasha Darling because her mind created it as a safe environment, she's not going to return to normal unless her mind feels that she's not in the best place for her. Currently, you're making her fine with being where she is."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that she's not going to get better with you around."

* * *

"And then he said that after today they aren't going to let me or anyone else see her. I mean how crazy is that?" Frank spoke into the phone, to Joe who had just called him and made the utter mistake of asking him how things were going.

"Well it's definitely going to make things a bit more difficult." Joe sighed. "Look, since you only have so much time I need you to find out as soon as possible if—,"

"I mean, how is she going to do anything when she's alone all day?" Frank cut off his brother, clearly not listening. "She's not going to have anyone reminding her of what her real world is,"

"Because that's something you did so often when you were with her." Joe muttered.

Frank continued as though he didn't hear Joe. "And she's not going to have anyone to talk to all day. She'll probably only get more confused if she's just thinking by herself all day. I don't think we should let them do this."

"Let them do what? He's exercising his right as her doctor." Joe was getting a little annoyed. Yeah it wasn't that good that they weren't going to be able to see Nancy at all. It was actually pretty bad. But Frank wasn't thinking rationally and it was getting on his nerves. "You need to ask Nancy if--,"

"There isn't anything physically wrong with her anymore. I'm going to get her to check herself out. She can come stay with us until she's better."

"And what about Carson? She has an aversion to him if you remember."

"You can figure something out by the end of the day. This'll be good for her. We can get a lot more done without having to stop at the end of visiting hours. I have to go talk to her about it."

"Fine. Would you also talk to her about--,"

Frank didn't hear the rest of the sentence. He had already hung up the phone.

* * *

"Where exactly are you taking me?"

Frank pushed Nancy towards the exit of the hospital in a wheelchair, in accordance with hospital policy. "You're going to stay with me and Joey and our folks."

"Are you sure your folks won't mind? I'm sure I could find somewhere to stay until I get back into the city."

"No. They want you to come stay with us."

"Well who am I to say no?" Nancy grinned a little, as they reached the doors of the main lobby. She started to move to get out of the wheelchair. "Come on, let's go."

Frank glanced outside to see pouring rain, and no sign of his brother. "Joey's not here yet. We should probably wait in here."

"Not a chance." She finished standing and went to the door. "You and those doctors have kept me in this hospital for the past week and a half. I plan on going outside."

"It's pouring rain."

"I love the rain." She sent him a smaller, coyer grin as though trying to goad him into going outside with her.

It clearly worked. "All right let's go."

The two walked outside. In the moments after Nancy got outside she grabbed Frank's arm and pulled him out into the rain, starting to smile and laugh as the water hit her face and started to soak her hair. She broke away and splashed in a puddle or two and then came back over to Frank who was standing where she had left him, smiling and watching her frolic. "See, the rain is beautiful."

Frank took her hands that were swinging by her sides and clasped them in his. "You're beautiful." He used one hand to wipe a rain drop off of her cheek. They stood in the silence for a moment, his hand lingering on her cheek, until finally they leaned together and kissed each other.

After they broke apart, Frank smiled. Nancy, on the other hand pushed herself away from him. "Frank I have to be honest with you."

* * *

Just keep going to the next chapter.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that I am using to create this work of fiction, the series that they are from, or any pop culture references that I may chose to include.

Author's notes: Thank you reviewers! And since I lied and it did take a while for me to update, welcome to the world of the double update.

* * *

I Like to Think of Myself as a Powerful Executive in Fantasyland

Nancy sighed as Frank frowned. Saying his real name had been a bit of a giveaway, she knew. She ran a hand through her hair that was starting to get stringy with water. "You don't have to pretend that you're Francis and I'm Natasha anymore. I should have told you this sooner…but I'm back." She shrugged a little, knowing that she was about to be in for it.

Frank turned away. He was happy, sure. Nancy was back which meant that everything could go back to normal and they could solve mysteries and she could see her father again. But he was also starting to realize how Joe might have been right. He had been with her, thinking that he was with "Natasha", and he had kissed her. Clearly he had been falling for her; he couldn't believe that he had missed that. Now that she was gone he could still feel his heart sinking a little, even though he knew he should just resign to being happy that Nancy was back.

And then it hit him. She just told him that she should have told him sooner. She had been better for a while. He turned back. "For how long?" He questioned her, surprised at how quickly his mouth had gotten cotton dry.

Nancy bit her lip briefly. "I guess since about two days after I woke up."

"Wait…wait…" Frank held up a hand. "Do you mean to tell me that you've been faking this…amnesia thing for a week?"

"Well…yeah. But you have to understand, I really didn't want for it to go on this long." She sat done on the curb, somewhat dejectedly, not seeming to notice the way that the water was soaking through what dry clothing was left on her. "When I woke up, I realized I was in the hospital, and everyone was calling me Natasha. After a little bit with the doctor I realized that everyone thought that I thought I was this Natasha Darling singer from the 1930s."

"And you knew about the singer?" Frank took neutral territory when it came to asking the questions.

"I worked a case involving her a couple months ago. I'll explain it later." She looked down to her hands and then back to him. "When he left I was still disoriented so he thought I was still out of it. I figured that I would tell the next person who came in, which happened to be you."

"But you didn't."

"I was going to. But you came in and you were acting like you were Francis. And I realized that if you knew I was back then we would just go back to the mystery business, but I realized that I could probably keep up the act for another day. So I decided to."

"Why?"

"I wanted to feel like a normal person for a while…not the superhuman teenage detective."

"No one thinks of you like that."

"I know. But I do feel like it once in a while which people seem to forget. And I sort of just fell in love with the way that we were hanging out with each other." She shook her head. "It's so stupid I know. But then each day you would come and I would somehow forget to tell you that I wasn't Natasha , because you would say something ant it would make me…"

"Fall a bit more for you." Frank finished for Nancy, sitting down next to her.

"How did you know?"

"Because you did the same thing to me. Of course I thought I was falling for some fictional character…"

"You weren't. Well, not exactly. I'm so sorry Frank. I should have been honest with you from the beginning."

"It's all right. I mean, you shouldn't have done it, but I understand why you did it."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. Everyone deserves a break once in a while… But how about next time you just tell us that you want a break? The whole gaping head wound amnesia thing was way too much stress for me."

"All right." She leaned in and kissed him quickly as a car drove up.

The window rolled down and Joe's grinning face looked out. "You two cats looking to go somewhere?"

Nancy smirked, grabbing Frank's hand and standing. "Let's go pick up my dad."

"But I thought that…"

"Guess who's back?"

* * *

And that is the end.

A little short I know, but it went where I wanted it to go. Any questions, comments, or overall feedback? Please review and let me know.


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